Hacking drones, assassination or with the assault rifle through the front door – “Watch Dogs Legion” gives the players a free choice. It’s a shame that little of the gloomy scenario remains in the exciting missions.

The day the lights went out London, sometime in not too distant future: the city is hit by terrorist attacks and the government collapses. Out of nowhere, a mysterious police force takes power, ruthlessly nipping any protest in the bud. The hacker group DedSec does not put up with this and pulls out their smartphones to paralyze the servers of the fascist regime.

Welcome to “Watch Dogs”! The third attempt at Ubisoft’s action adventure this time does without a single hero and presents a whole range of different hackers who plunge into the fight against evil. E-athletes, drone-flying construction workers or converted security guards ensure great playful freedom with computer skills, disguises and a killer mentality. They can all be recruited from the street. At the beginning of the game there is only a small selection, over time the players can hire new recruits and expand their hacker pool.

“Watch Dogs Legion” played (5 pictures) More heroes, more missions. “Watch Dogs: Legion” expands the successful concept of its predecessor with playful freedom, but the story falls by the wayside.
(Image: heise online) Many ways to the goal An example: We are supposed to hack a computer and infiltrate a building in which trigger-happy security guards are lurking around every corner. The most direct way would be with the assault rifle through the main entrance. But we can also send out a small spider drone that first switches off all security systems, or sneak through the corridors as a disguised assassin. If you want to save yourself all the stress, you can grab a freight drone as a construction worker, fly up to the roof and spend half of the way.

This game principle is loosened up by puzzles and skill tests. For example, players have to properly connect wires or use nano-drones to penetrate a computer to overheat the core. Players will find technology points scattered around the world to buy new gadgets or to improve them. With enough money, the players can put together their own personal wardrobe – this has no playful effect. In addition to the extensive story campaign, there are numerous side tasks through which DedSec can find new supporters or free entire districts in order to get new bonuses or recruits.

Scenario given away As great and varied as it is – the opponents are numerous, but easy to outsmart. In the normal level of difficulty there are hardly any consequences. If you get caught, the recruit will simply end up in jail and will not be operational for a short time. In “Permanent Death” mode, however, the recruits disappear from the game. When all DedSec hackers are dead, Game Over will flicker across the screen.

Trailer for “Watch Dogs: Legion”

(Source: Ubisoft) The behavior of the citizens is strange: If the hackers plow over cars or people during a chase, it has no consequence. It also doesn’t bother anyone if you simply zoom around in a large cargo drone. At such moments, the otherwise detailed graphics look like lifeless wallpaper. This impression is supported by the terrifying lifeless facial animations, which can only convince with a lip-synchronous setting.

It’s also a shame that hardly anything remains of the gloomy and explosive scenario. A fascist police state, organ trafficking and international conspiracies only serve as a means to an end – the two predecessors did better. In the third part, Ubisoft wants to stage a large adventure playground that will entertain fans for months through DLCs and the upcoming multiplayer mode in December, similar to “The Division” or “Ghost Recon”.

Interim conclusion “Watch Dogs: Legion” is a great adventure game